September 21, 2020 | 1 Samuel 21:1–22:20 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue In his first inaugural address, delivered at the height of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously declared, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” Fear is a powerful […]
September 20, 2020 | 1 Samuel 20:1–42 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue When Jesus began His public ministry, His family was shocked. At one point, when He was preaching to a large crowd in a house, his family members tried to remove Him by force, claiming that He had lost His mind (Mark 3:21). Jesus […]
September 19, 2020 | 1 Samuel 19:1–24 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue According to tradition, the emperor Constantine saw a vision of a blazing cross against the sun and words which said, “In this sign, you will conquer.” Constantine’s troops placed this symbol, made up of the Greek letters Chi and Rho, on their shields. He […]
September 18, 2020 | 1 Samuel 18:1–30 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue When I was growing up, my parents used to buy my shoes at a little shop at the end of our block. Getting a new pair of shoes was always a big deal, an event that warranted a family expedition. Maybe that’s why I […]
September 17, 2020 | 1 Samuel 17:1–58 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue I was not raised in a Christian home. For the first 20 years of my life, I read very little of the Bible. But even as a child I knew the story of David and Goliath. The Scripture’s account of David’s defeat of the […]
September 16, 2020 | 1 Samuel 16:1–23 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Some say the modern age of image-oriented political campaigning began in 1960 with the first televised presidential debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. On camera, Kennedy seemed more comfortable than Nixon, whose appearance and awkward manner made him appear less confident to viewers. […]
September 15, 2020 | 1 Samuel 15:1–35 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue In his book The God Delusion, atheist Richard Dawkins accused the God portrayed in the Old Testament of being “arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction” and “a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser.” Dawkins may have based his accusations on today’s reading. Modern readers […]
September 14, 2020 | 1 Samuel 13:16–14:52 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Did you ever make a promise you couldn’t keep? Maybe you agreed to something in haste, later regretting what you vowed? As Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 5:6, “Do not let your mouth lead you into sin.” In today’s passage, Saul acted contrary to this […]
September 13, 2020 | 1 Samuel 13:1-15 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue At the track meet, I watched in dismay as the front runner for our team lost his footing and fell. The cheers of the crowd quickly turned to groans. We all know that a strong start does not always guarantee a good finish. The […]
September 12, 2020 | 1 Samuel 12:1-25 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue As he set out for his presidential inauguration in 1861, Abraham Lincoln knew he faced a seemingly impossible task. “I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington,” Lincoln […]